Anthony Fauci has been clear that President Trump “has listened to what I have said and to what the other people on the task force have said. When I have made recommendations, he has taken them. He’s never countered or overridden me.”
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and architect of the public health response to the coronavirus explained separately, “Though we disagree on some things, [Trump] listens. He goes his own way. He has his own style. But, on substantive issues, he does listen to what I say.”
It is comforting that, on major decisions, Trump has, in fact, deferred to the experts. He did this recently when, in spite of previous comments, he extended the aggressive guidance on social distancing through the end of April.
But, unfortunately, whatever policy decisions he makes, Trump’s bombastic style has been creating unnecessary additional drama during a time that demands sober leadership.
“We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself,” Trump tweeted in all caps just before midnight one recent Sunday. “At the end of the 15 day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go!”
The tweet had many people thinking that Trump was in the midst of backing off social distancing guidance just as the coronavirus was beginning to strain the healthcare system in New York.
Trump subsequently followed up by saying that he would “love to have the country opened up” by Easter on April 12.
We are certainly sympathetic to the goal of returning the nation to some sense of normalcy. The current approach is unsustainable in the long-run. However, opening up can only occur once the nation has gotten past the initial burst of coronavirus infections and once the United States has successfully instituted measures that have proven effective elsewhere, such as widespread testing, the isolation of those infected, and the tracing of their contacts. The U.S. should be developing those systems now, so the nation will be in a position to reopen as soon as possible, safely and gradually, once the worst is over.
But the reopening must not be hasty or come before the groundwork has been laid. It was never going to be realistic for churches to be packed in time for Easter Sunday, and so it was irresponsible for Trump to float the possibility.
And this was not the only example of Trump speaking rashly on matters that demand more restraint.
On Saturday afternoon, he tweeted he was considering a quarantine of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He later backed off in favor of a “strong travel advisory.” Trump should not be doing this sort of thinking aloud. It contributes to panic in an already anxious region of 32 million people. Not only that, but if Trump really did think a tri-state quarantine necessary, the very worst thing he could have done was to give everybody warning that drastic restrictions could be coming. This would only encourage those contemplating leaving those places to do so with even more urgency, potentially leading to the further spread of the virus.
Trump has also questioned the demands coming from taxed hospitals and localities, particularly.
“I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators,” Trump told Sean Hannity. “You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now, all of a sudden, they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’”
But Fauci has said that he believes such a number could indeed be needed in New York.
In a Sunday press conference, Trump also questioned the growing demand for masks in New York City hospitals, which are necessary to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus among medical workers on the front lines. “Where are the masks going?” he asked. “Are they going out the back door?”
Trump has also proven himself unable to avoid drawing out petty fights with hostile governors. He said he wants governors to be “appreciative” of the job the administration is doing and that he won’t call the Democratic governor of Washington state, Jay Inslee, home to one of the worst outbreaks in the country. “He’s a failed presidential candidate,” Trump said. “He’s a nasty person. I don’t like the governor of Washington. So, you know who calls? I get Mike Pence to call.”
This is a time for the president to be rising above the fray and to be calling for national unity. He should be focusing press briefings on informing the public about the response to the coronavirus.
Which brings up another point: Trump spent Sunday afternoon firing off a series of tweets boasting about how great the ratings were on the press briefings. It is just absolutely bizarre for the president, in the midst of a pandemic that has already claimed thousands of lives, to be boasting about TV ratings for what should be informational public health briefings.
Trump’s brash style guided him through the 2016 campaign and helped him get through impeachment. His strategy dating back to his time as a real estate developer has been to make dramatic claims that draw headlines, then to bury them shortly thereafter under an avalanche caused by still more new and explosive statements, but the time is long overdue for him to recognize that the coronavirus crisis requires an entirely different form of leadership.
